Hearing devices are generally small complex devices used to improve the hearing capability of individuals. Hearing devices can be used to compensate for hearing impairments or to provide a sound source (e.g., headphones, earbuds, etc.). Some common examples of hearing devices used to compensate for hearing impairments include, but are not limited to, Behind-The-Ear (BTE) devices, Receiver-In-the-Canal (RIC) devices, In-The-Ear (ITE) devices, Completely-In-Canal (CIC) devices, and Invisible-In-The-Canal (IIC) devices. A user can select from these, or other, hearing devices based on a variety of preferences and hearing impairment needs. For example, one type of hearing device may be a preferred by an individual over another when factors such as hearing loss, aesthetic preferences, lifestyle needs, budget, and the like are considered.
With advances in technology such as improved processing and communication protocols, hearing devices have more functionality and increased performance than ever before. For example, this additional functionality can include additional signal processing techniques, Bluetooth® audio streaming from external sources such as phones or televisions, and the like. These additional features and performance mitigate the impact of the hearing impairment and allow the user of the hearing device to better interact with the environment and manage the hearing loss. Unfortunately, the addition of functionality and performance increases the number of potential operating states of the hearing device. As such, the hearing device may be switching between these states more often to optimize the experience for the user.
In some cases, the switching between the operating states of the hearing devices can inject undesirable sounds (called artifacts) into the user experience. The undesirable sounds are not the result of external environment, but are a product of the software and/or hardware switching configurations. For example, these undesirable sounds may be perceived by the user as a popping, sizzling, increase in volume level, or other spurious sound event. The user is often left frustrated as these spurious sound events can, from the user's perspective, seem to be happening randomly in many cases. As such, techniques are needed for minimizing the perception of these spurious sound events by the user.